I am sure this has been done to death but I am just in th ethrows of ordering a Cooper s but cant decide on s or sd. I am not really concerned about the fuel consumption as my current car does 15mpg so anything else is a bonus. What I am really interested in is the driveability and which ultimately feels better, has the best mechanicals (as I understand it the 2.0ltr is the same thats in the 1 series so should be pretty good).
So noise and consumption apart which one drives the best?

Depends if you like/want lazy power delivery (SD) or hot hatch 'rev em high, get involved' power delivery (S).

If MPG was no issue for me I'd take an S every time. But then if you're looking at SD money, you're not a million miles away from a JCW and thats MUCH MUCH more interesting.

Depends if you like/want lazy power delivery (SD) or hot hatch 'rev em high, get involved' power delivery (S).

If MPG was no issue for me I'd take an S every time. But then if you're looking at SD money, you're not a million miles away from a JCW and thats MUCH MUCH more interesting.

Very good advice!

Not much more I can say, other than the obvious - drive them both and see which you prefer. :)

i have owned both in the last 18 months and ahve loved both of them! they are both different and better than each other in so many different ways! i love the sporty feel of the S but i think the extra weight in the SD improves the handling! but that is just my personal opinion. which ever one you go for you will be in for a treat!